LONDON — Four Chelsea players have been recognised by Guinness World Records for achievements that span the men’s and women’s games, with Cole Palmer, Estêvão Willian, Hannah Hampton and Manaka Matsukubo each receiving an official certificate.
The quartet’s milestones cover four different competitions and football environments: the Premier League, Brazil’s domestic championship, the Women’s Super League (WSL) and the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL). Chelsea confirmed that all four are also included in the Guinness World Records Football Edition 2027, among a Class of ’27 featuring 30 established stars, history-makers and emerging talents. The club’s official announcement details the records.
Cole Palmer: Premier League Perfect Hat-Trick In 29 Minutes
Palmer’s Guinness recognition is for the fastest perfect hat-trick from kick-off in a Premier League match. He achieved the feat against Everton at Stamford Bridge on 15 April 2024, scoring with his left foot, right foot and head inside the opening 29 minutes.
The England international opened the scoring in the 13th minute, headed in a rebound five minutes later and completed the treble in the 29th minute with a composed finish over goalkeeper Jordan Pickford. Palmer then added a penalty in the second half, taking his personal tally to four goals in Chelsea’s 6–0 victory.
The performance broke the previous Premier League record for the fastest perfect hat-trick, which had stood at 38 minutes since Tommy Johnson achieved it for Aston Villa against Wimbledon in 1995. The Premier League’s match analysis explains the significance of Palmer’s three different types of finish, while Guinness World Records’ record page lists the achievement.
Estêvão Willian: Brazil’s Youngest Bola de Ouro Winner
Estêvão’s record was achieved before his move to Chelsea. On 9 December 2024, aged 17 years and 229 days, he became the youngest winner of football’s Bola de Ouro, the “Golden Ball” presented annually by Brazilian magazine Placar to the best player in the country’s domestic championship, as voted for by its journalists.
The award recognised a breakthrough campaign with Palmeiras. Estêvão scored 13 goals and supplied nine assists in the 2024 Brazilian league, contributing to 22 goals. The Guinness record entry confirms his age at the time of the award and outlines the history of the honour.
His domestic form also earned recognition from the Brazilian Football Confederation, which reported that he received the league’s Revelation and Best Forward awards after the 2024 season. The federation’s report on Estêvão’s Brazilian league honours provides further context for the campaign that preceded his Guinness distinction.
Hannah Hampton: Youngest Goalkeeper To Reach 100 WSL Appearances
Hampton’s record celebrates a landmark built through consistency across several WSL seasons. The England goalkeeper became the youngest goalkeeper to reach 100 appearances in the competition, achieving the milestone aged 23 years and 353 days on 3 November 2024.
She reached the century during Chelsea’s 5–0 away victory over Everton, keeping a clean sheet in the process. Hampton’s WSL career had included spells with Birmingham City and Aston Villa before she joined Chelsea in 2023. Her progression from those clubs to becoming a key figure for Chelsea and England reflects the sustained development behind the milestone.
Chelsea’s official player profile records her career pathway and confirms that she reached 100 WSL appearances in November 2024. The WSL player profile provides additional competition and player information.
Manaka Matsukubo: Youngest NWSL Player To Score A Hat-Trick
.jpg){kind=link}
Japanese midfielder Matsukubo completes the quartet after setting an NWSL age record while playing for North Carolina Courage. She became the youngest player to score a hat-trick in the league, aged 21 years and 81 days, when she scored three times against Bay FC on 17 October 2025.
The Courage won the match 4–1, with Matsukubo’s three-goal contribution helping deliver a decisive result late in the regular season. Her performance earned her the NWSL Player of the Week award. The club’s match-week announcement confirmed the hat-trick and described her as the youngest player in league history to achieve it.
Matsukubo’s 2025 season continued to attract recognition: she was named NWSL Midfielder of the Year and selected for the league’s Best XI First Team. She joined Chelsea in July 2026. Chelsea’s official profile outlines her move to London, her North Carolina Courage record and her development with Japan’s national teams.
Four Records, Four Different Routes Into Football History
The four achievements underline how individual excellence can take different forms. Palmer’s record came from an exceptional half-hour in a Premier League match; Estêvão’s from a standout domestic season recognised by Brazilian football; Hampton’s from reaching a major appearance milestone at an unusually young age; and Matsukubo’s from a three-goal performance in one of North America’s leading women’s competitions.
Their shared recognition is also a reminder of the breadth of Chelsea’s football operation. The club’s men’s and women’s squads are represented, while the records themselves connect football communities in England, Brazil and the United States. Being included in the Guinness World Records Football Edition 2027 places all four achievements within a wider collection of milestones from across the sport.
For the players, the certificates formalise achievements already written into competition history. For supporters, they offer four distinct reasons to celebrate the talent and progress of Chelsea’s current generation.
Photo licensing: The photographs in this article are sourced from Wikimedia Commons. Cole Palmer’s photograph is dedicated to the public domain under CC0 1.0; the Estêvão Willian, Hannah Hampton and Manaka Matsukubo photographs are published under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0. The original file pages and licence links are provided in each caption.